Thursday, 13 July 2017

To my friends with Apert Syndrome. Its just an observation made with love, care & thought. I noticed that some of you are burrowing deeper into that singular identity. You are more than someone with Apert Syndrome. You are a human & there IS more to you than AS & you don't have to focus on that every time. You are a beautiful child of God that can get through the seas of human life. It's ok to make mistakes, it's ok to have some negative little things in life, heck, I don't think people realize that when they hate Mormons or immigrants, that means they hate me & that's ok. I don't expect everyone to love me or agree with me on a lot of things, that's part of life for everyone. Go ahead & critique me for being Mormon or an immigrant, it's apparently a thing. Apert Syndrome doesn't have to be the conversation topic every time & I can attest that it doesn't have to be a life crisis either. Honestly, Apert Syndrome is one of the best things that happened to me. It's not a disease, it's not a curse & it's definitely not an excuse to not explore every beautiful aspect of life. We all have setbacks, we all have baggage, we all have haters, we all have taxes, we all have bad days some days, we all have sad days & heartbreaks. We're human. And please, please learn about African American History & the plights, stories & sacrifices of other cultures. I'm surprised at the fact that some people with Apert Syndrome have yet to learn that they're not the only ones suffering from discrimination, stares & other unfairness or weird public moments. It's not always all about you, or me. We're all important. I'm happy, I'm okay, I just want to raise awareness that there is diversity even within the craniofacial community in the US.

I like that the person writing this post realises that her craniofacial syndrome does not define her. It is just a part of her. She experiences the same ups and downs in life that many people experience who do not have something wrong with their face. There is discrimination in all quarters. I see it every day on the news. It is the same with my daughter who has Down syndroem. Down syndrome is just a part of her - it does not define her.

Advocate and spread awareness but do not be bitter about the hand that has been dealt to you. I think a positive attitude about having a facial difference goes a long way to having a happy and successful life. People who know you, will not care about how your face looks. And those that make comments mean nothing in the scheme of life. Yes the comments hurt, but you need to try and shake them off and keep on going.Yes it's annoying that you have to spend time at the hospital and undergo painful surgeries, but there are many people with other genetic conditions who also have surgeries and spend a lot of time at the hospital - I see them every time we're sitting in a clinic. My advice is, get out there and live your life. You only have one, so enjoy it and leave your positive mark on the world!

Tuesday, 11 July 2017

A year ago I held my book launch of Ride High Pineapple. The story had been in my heart for a long time but it wasn't until I left teaching that I was able to put pen to paper and write the book. I wrote a few different versions of the story, finally being happy with the final draft that was published. I am rereading Ride High Pineapple now which is great because I'm viewing it with fresh eyes.

The story does show what it's like to be born with a facial disfigurement, but it also looks at many typical teenage issues, how mental illness affects a person physically and mentally, how important a mentor can be; and of course I love the analogy of the pineapple that Issy the main character uses to deal with her lack of self-confidence.

What I think is great about this book is, that anyone who feels different will get something from it. Anyone who suffers from anxiety will understand how Issy feels. The book isn't just about her face. Though Issy's face leads the story because it influences Issy's whole personality, her self-confidence, her possessiveness of her best friend and why she is bullied.

So why did I write the book?

Because I was born with a facial disfigurement, called Crouzon syndrome. Most people who meet me do not know this, because of the surgeries I've had. They do not know that the bones in my face have been rearranged and I have pieces of my ribs and hip bones in my face. For example, my brows are made from hip bone. Under my eyesockets are pieces of ribs.

Growing up was tough but I was a happy child and had friends. I tried to live a normal life but it was difficult because other kids and adults told me that I different. I was bullied, I was stared at, I was shunned. The surgeries I underwent were horrific. But I was a determined soul and that kept me going. I did suffer from anxiety and shyness in new situations.

There were no books around about someone who was different like me. I Can Jump Puddles is the only one I remember where a child was disabled. When my children were born there were still no stories around. It wasn't until Wonder by RJ Palacio came out in 2012 that finally there was a book. I didn't want to write a book the same, so went with a teenage girl and broadened the book so it wasn't just focussed on the face.

If you haven't read Ride High Pineapple, it is available as a paperback and an ebook, from my website, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Acebooks, Kobo, Book Depository, Fishpond, Booktopia.

Wednesday, 5 July 2017

What did I teach Jessica today? What is the front of a store and what is
the back of a store. I told her Nick was at the back of the store in EB
Games which is a little shop. Jess was in the middle. She turned and
walked to the front, out the door, then proceeded to walk down the mall
calling out, 'Nick where are you?' I had to run after her and take her
back to the store, showing her where Nick was, explaining to her where
the back of the store was. Just another thing kids normally pick up but
I've had to teach it to Jess. Oh and this was after she picked up a Just
Dance game for a XBox One and wanted to buy it. I had to keep telling
her we didn't have an XBox One. I physically had to take it from her and
put it back. She wasn't happy with me. It's times like these it hits me that
she is intellectually disabled.